Progressive Squad leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has broken her silence on whether Joe Biden should run again in 2024.
Following Biden’s disastrous performance in the debate against former President Donald Trump on June 27, questions have arisen about the 81-year-old’s physical and mental health and whether he should withdraw from the race.
So far, only a small group of Democratic lawmakers have called on the president to drop out of the race, while many more have thrown their support behind Biden.
The squad leader confirmed on Monday that she agrees with the president’s leadership.
“I’ve spoken to Biden at length,” AOC said. “The matter is closed. Joe Biden is our candidate.”
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive leader of the Squad, has come out in support of President Joe Biden, while some Democrats have publicly spoken out against his re-election.
AOC said she spoke to Biden over the weekend and he made it clear he would not drop out of the race.
“He made it clear then and he’s made it clear ever since that he’s in this race,” he continued.
“He’s in this race and I support him,” the team leader said.
The resounding endorsement from the most popular progressive lawmaker comes at a crucial moment, with Democrats opposing the president’s re-election campaign.
AOC’s support for Biden was echoed by House Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who said she was backing Joe as of now, too.
“I think it’s important that we make sure our candidate is the strongest, and right now Biden is our candidate.”
“So until that changes, I think it’s best that we have these conversations privately,” he continued.
However, her outlook on Biden after the debate was not entirely optimistic.
“I think it would be hard not to be worried,” she added. “I think it was not a good performance in the debate.”
“And I think it was very difficult for all of us to watch.”
Immediately after the two presidents debated, criticism from within the Democratic Party directed at Joe Biden began circulating on social media and cable news outlets.
The first elected Democrat to break ranks with Biden was Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett.
On July 2, five days after Biden’s disastrous performance in the CNN debate, Doggett released a statement calling on the president to drop out of the race.
Doggett, a veteran Democrat who has served since 1995, wrote how Biden pledged to be a “transitional” candidate, saying the president has kept his promise and should end his candidacy.
A day later, on July 3, Representative Raúl Grijalva of Arizona told the New York Times that he, too, believes Joe Biden should withdraw from the race.
“If he is the candidate, I will support him, but I think this is an opportunity to look the other way,” Grijalva said.
Several other influential lawmakers also raised concerns about Biden’s ability in a Sunday call between members of Congress.
Democratic Reps. Mark Takano of California, Jerry Nadler and Joe Morelle of New York, and Adam Smith of Washington all said at the conference that they want Biden to step aside.
Rep. Adam Smith called on CNN on Monday for President Joe Biden to drop out of the race
On Monday, Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said publicly on CNN that he wants Biden to drop out of the race.
“We have a good message,” Smith said of the Democrats’ political positioning.
“The president has shown that he is not capable of delivering that message effectively,” he added, saying there were concerns ahead of the debate.
